Monday, February 1, 2010

Bern Bear Attack


So I'm a little late on this. Back in November, a mentally handicapped man managed to get into the new Barenpark in Bern.

A police officer shot the bear in an effort to save the man. The aftermath has been interesting and so very Swiss. My favorite part of that article is this quote,

"Everyone is responsible for themselves," said Puzo, who was not on duty when the attack occurred. "It's like going to the Amazon, being in a boat, being told the water is full of piranhas – and you still jump in. People are more dangerous than animals."

Personal responsibility. Love this in Switzerland.

Shall we venture to guess what would have happened had this event taken place in America?

My guess: Animal put down due to being a risk to society and a lawsuit from the victim for the enclosure not being foolproof.

What do you think?

On another note, here's one more big difference between Europe and the US. Reporting. If you feel so inclined, you can check this link for actual photos of the bear mauling the man.

Incredible. I never realized how tame the news is in the US until I came here.

8 comments:

Romy said...

Totally agree with you on the personal responsibility thing. I love that you can't sue for a million dollars for being stupid and jumping into a bear pit. If you duck a rope on a ski piste and get caught in an avalanche, shame, but it's your own dumb fault. Very refreshing compared to the States where if there is not a huge sign warning you against it (and sometimes even if there is) then you can't possibly be held responsible.

grammie said...

Totally agree with smart, intelligent, interesting ladies !

ToadMama said...

I am in total agreement with the personal responsibility thing. And I LOVE the style of reporting. But, that's me...

Mike said...

You obviously have a lawyer shortage over there if no lawsuits have been filed.
Where can I ship some of our extras?

Interesting line at the end of the one article:
Police and zoo officials say there has been an outpouring of public sympathy - for the bear.

Hoppy said...

The pictures of the attack are pretty candid. And I love the way they handled it. Kept the bear alive and saved the guy... although with the Swiss, they're probably going to send him the bill for the medical care for the bear and for the efforts of the police and rescue team. Would serve him right.

A simlilar situation happened last year in the US, where two young men taunted a tiger to the point where the tiger leaped over the fence and killed one of them. I think the tiger was killed.

Love to all.

Hoppy said...

The pictures of the attack are pretty candid. And I love the way they handled it. Kept the bear alive and saved the guy... although with the Swiss, they're probably going to send him the bill for the medical care for the bear and for the efforts of the police and rescue team. Would serve him right.

A simlilar situation happened last year in the US, where two young men taunted a tiger to the point where the tiger leaped over the fence and killed one of them. I think the tiger was killed.

Love to all.

mrsmac said...

Romy - Good example! You're right, it is refreshing.

Grammie - Danke!

Toadmama - I think I like that style of reporting as well. It just totally surprised me when I went to that article!

Mike - I am finding that in a lot of articles and love it!

Hoppy - Case and point, thanks!

Reama said...

Did you hear about those idiots who climbed into the tiger cage at the SF zoo? The poor tiger was shot and killed, then they turned around and sued the zoo.

Ugh!